


I Was Born to Love You

by skenandj



Series: I Was Born to Love You [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, But there will be Rock and Roll, Classical Music, Depression/Anxiety, F/F, Fluff, General and all-around goonery, Light Angst, Light Mental Health Issues, M/M, Masturbation, Minus the drugs, Mutual Pining, No promises on the sex, Rock Stars, Rock and Roll, Seduction Master Link?, Seduction Master Sidon, Sex Drugs and Rock and Roll
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-01
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2018-12-22 09:31:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11964612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skenandj/pseuds/skenandj
Summary: Link only has one year of college left and he wants to make the best of it. He signs up for a chamber music ensemble like usual.This time, however, Link lucks out when he is paired up with one of the best talents around: Sidon Nayru. With Link’s guitar expertise and Sidon’s angelic voice, there is no doubt they will be great on stage.How will their relationship develop offstage? Stick around for classical music, rock shows, and SidLink romance featuring our adorable nerds!





	1. An Opportunity

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! This is my first multi-chapter fic. Each chapter will usually be about 1000-3000 words.
> 
> I have a Tumblr and a YouTube channel, check 'em out!
> 
> https://skenandj.tumblr.com/
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA
> 
> Special thanks to KyDesert for his help, ideas, and encouragement!
> 
> Let me know what y'all think, I hope you like it!

Link groaned and let out a string of expletives as his 5:00 AM alarm clock blared. Oh how he hated that sound. It was always so jarring and Link hated starting his day startled. Link had already tried a number of different, softer alarm tones to no avail. The softer tones just weren’t enough to wake Link up. In fact, they already caused him to miss a few classes and all of his professors stressed how attendance at every class was so important. Link had no recourse; he had to use the harsh tone. So here Link was, stuck with a sound that he hated in a mood that he hated at the time of day that he hated the most. Damn his 8:00 AM political philosophy class.

Link carefully climbed down from his lofted bed. Just last year he fell out of his bed trying to reach his alarm. That wasn’t something he wanted to do again. Once he was securely planted on his feet, he reached for his mortal nemesis and silenced it for the day. Link sighed as he prepared for his morning routine. He began with a series of stretches before moving to some bodyweight exercises. He didn’t do anything too strenuous, only enough to work up a light sweat. Finally, Link did some cool-down stretches before he grabbed his shower caddy and made his way to his dorm’s showers. 

While the showers in his all-male dorm thankfully weren’t communal, they were very small and very gross. Link missed having a personal shower. He wasn’t very posh and his family wasn’t particularly wealthy but something about the shared showers didn’t quite sit right with him. Perhaps it was the lingering awkward memories of actual communal showers in high school that affected him. Even though he wasn’t showering directly next to naked bodies, he did still have to watch out for where his gaze wandered. Some of the boys weren’t so good at closing the shower curtains.

While not much good came out of having an 8:00 AM class, one plus was that no one was ever in the showers at 5:30 so Link could hum away without any fear of embarrassment. Link showered quickly but thoroughly, humming contentedly all the way through. After he showered, Link brushed his teeth, shaved, and then went back to his room. 

While Link blow-dried his shoulder length blonde hair, he opened up his laptop and started sifting through his university email. Most of it was useless beginning-of-the-semester spam from the bookstore but one thing caught his eye: Potential Guitar/Voice Chamber Duo Opportunity. The email was from Dr. Mikau, his classical guitar professor, and was addressed to his entire studio. Link hurriedly opened up the email so he could respond and get first dibs. This was another perk of having an 8:00 AM class: most of his professors handled their emails in the early morning, right around when Link woke up. He could almost always get first access to time sensitive information. 

The email read:

“Hello Studio,

“Dr. Lulu let me know that one of her tenors was looking for a guitarist to accompany him for chamber ensemble for credit this semester. He is also looking to give an elective recital of chamber music at the end of the semester. Let me know if this is something any of you are interested in.

“Regards,  
Dr. M”

Link did still need a semester of chamber ensemble in order to meet his degree requirement and he had plenty of time in his schedule this semester to make it work. Although honestly, Link would have taken the opportunity even if he didn’t need the credit or hadn’t the time. After all, guitar/voice ensembles were his favorite. Link hit “reply all” and furiously typed out his claim:

“Hi Dr. M

“I would be delighted to take this opportunity. Perhaps we could discuss the logistics in tomorrow’s lesson? 

“Many thanks,  
Link”

Link slammed the send icon as soon as he was done just incase another guitar student was up this early and tried to take his place. Once he guaranteed his message sent, he closed his laptop, got fully dressed, and left for breakfast.

============

As Link sat in the nearly empty dining hall enjoying his breakfast, he cycled between checking his phone for the confirmation email from Dr. Mikau and looking up guitar/voice repertoire that they might play. By the time Link finished his meal, he didn’t have his confirmation email yet. He did, however, have some great ideas for what repertoire he and his singer could tackle. They could perform Benjamin Britten’s “Folk Song Arrangements” and “Songs From the Chinese” and maybe even Mátyás Seiber’s “Four French Folk Songs.” Perhaps they could perform some arrangements of Bach cantatas. There were so many possibilities, so much beautiful music that they could play. While questions of repertoire and logistics floated around in Link’s mind, during Link’s walk back to his dorm one question rose above the rest: who was the tenor he would be partnered with? 

Link got back to his dorm room at 6:45. Perfect, he had about one hour before he had to leave for class. Link figured it would only take him about 10 minutes to review the material for class and he could do that on the walk there. Now Link had a difficult choice to make: he could practice guitar or he could play video games. Link had recently been spending a little too much time playing video games. It hadn’t quite gotten to the point where it was interfering with his schoolwork but it was getting close. Link decided that he should spend the time practicing guitar. He wanted to be as on-point as possible for his duo.

============

Link made it to his seat at 7:58. He lost track of time while he was practicing and he was nearly late. He preferred to show up about seven minutes early for class but cutting it this close was a bit risky: his professor was incredibly strict. She made it clear from day one that class began promptly at 8:00 and that the door would be locked then. Anyone who didn’t make it in time wouldn’t be let in. Link didn’t have enough time to properly review the day’s material so he took a seat in the back and hoped his professor wouldn’t call on him. He took his phone out of his pocket to silence it and checked his email one last time. Sure enough, Link had a response from Dr. Mikau and, as expected, Link was the first one to claim the opportunity:

“Hi Link,

“Thanks for the prompt response. You were the first one to reply so you’ll get the spot. I’ve already informed Dr. Lulu. You should expect to hear from your partner soon. Dr. Lulu speaks very highly of him. His name is Sidon Nayru.

“Dr. M”

Link’s heart stopped in his chest for a moment. Sidon Nayru? He was probably the best singer at the University. In fact, Sidon was probably one of the best college-age singers in the country. What an incredible stroke of luck! As his professor walked in and slammed the door shut, Link was suddenly feeling much better about his 8:00 AM philosophy class.


	2. “Subject: Hello Friend!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr and Youtube:
> 
> https://skenandj.tumblr.com/
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA
> 
> More notes at the end!

Link’s sit-in-the-back-and-hope-his-professor-doesn’t-call-on-him strategy worked perfectly: he managed to coast through the entire lecture. It took some serious restraint for him to not check his phone in the middle of class though. He desperately wanted to keep refreshing his email until a message from Sidon appeared in his inbox. He wanted to settle on the repertoire and start practicing it as soon as possible. If he put on a good show with Sidon then it might be huge for his career as a musician. As soon as class was dismissed, before he packed up his materials and left his seat, he pulled out his phone and checked his email. Link let out a sad sigh. Well, he was glad he didn’t check his phone during class. Then he might have drawn the attention of his professor for nothing. Link packed up his materials and left for his dorm. He had two hours until his next class: history of Western music. This time Link decided he would review his readings for class first and then spend the remaining time practicing guitar. And for the love of god, this time Link would keep a closer eye on the time.

============

Link arrived at class at 10:53. Perfect. Link felt much more prepared for this class. A good thing too: his professor stressed how vital class participation was to getting a good grade. Link was also coming down from the unique high that an incredible practice session provides. There was just one thing that prevented Link from being totally blissed out: Sidon still hadn’t contacted him. As great as Link knew Sidon to be, if Sidon wanted to give a recital by the end of the semester then they really did need to discuss repertoire as soon as possible so they could start rehearsing. At least, that should have been the main source of Link’s worry but he was more bothered by the sheer suspense of not knowing what they were going to play. 

When the professor walked in, two minutes late, Link moved to grab his phone off of his desk and put it back in his pocket when he noticed a new notification pop up at the top of his screen. It was from Gmail. 

“From: Sidon Nayru [sidon.nayru@vanderbilt.edu]  
“Subject: Hello Friend!”

Ugh, perfect timing. Right when he couldn’t read it. Oh well, at least Link could go through class knowing that in one hour he would be in contact with Sidon and they could get the ball rolling.

============

Even though Link was a pretty good student who always took serious interest in his studies, the end of this class couldn’t come soon enough. As soon as class was finished, Link pulled out his phone and opened the email as he cleared his materials from his desk into his backpack.

“Hello Friend!

“Thank you so much for agreeing to play with me this semester! I’m sure you will be amazing!

“We should meet as soon as possible! I was hoping perhaps you’d have time to join me for dinner tonight: my treat of course! Let me know if this works for you otherwise we can find another time!

“Thank you again!  
Sidon”

A smile quickly spread across Link’s face as he read the email. Sidon seemed like quite the excitable character. Then again, most singers Link knew were. Still, Sidon seemed to take it a step above. Did he know one could end a sentence in something other than an exclamation mark? Link let out a light laugh as he wondered what the Sidon Nayru would be like in person. Link certainly wouldn’t break the number one rule of college: never turn down free food. What is better than free food and talking about music? “Nothing,” thought Link, answering his own rhetorical question as he started typing his response:

“Hi Sidon,

“I’m glad to be of help. I’m looking forward to this experience! I would love to join you for dinner tonight. What did you have in mind?

“Regards,  
Link”

Link didn’t even make it to his dorm room before Sidon replied:

“Excellent!

“Do you like Thai? If that is good with you, let’s meet at Satay, it’s at 2412 Elliston Place! Is 6 a good time?

“Sidon”

Oh, so Link was in for a treat! It had been so long since he went to Satay, he didn’t even have to think twice:

“That sounds great, I’ll see you then!”

“Link”

“Excellent, then it’s a date!

“Sidon”

============

The rest of Link’s school day filled out rather nicely. He only had one other class and it was at 4. German wasn’t easy, even if it was the introductory sequence, but Dr. Kyoki was so incredibly friendly and helpful that it was an immensely enjoyable experience, even if Link struggled a bit with the material. It was such an engaging class that time always seemed to speed by. After his last class let out, Link had one hour to prepare for his “date.” Link couldn’t help but laugh. Link had the privilege of seeing Sidon perform a few times and he always carried himself in such a dignified manner that he nearly seemed regal. Who would have guessed that he had such a bubbly personality? Certainly not Link. 

As he walked back to his dorm, Link wondered how he would come close to matching Sidon’s charismatic stage presence. Well, some singers were quite good at sharing their charisma with their partner; maybe Sidon was that kind of stage person. Link also recalled being shocked the first time he learned that some people considered his infallible stoicism to be charismatic in its own mysterious way. Perhaps the contrast between their energies would have a nice effect. 

When Link got back to his dorm, he expedited his morning routine: he took a quick shower and brushed his teeth. Link figured there was no need to shave again. He could honestly probably get away with shaving every other day, maybe even every three days, but Link figured it was best to establish a solid daily routine and he thought that shaving should be a part of that. 

After Link blow-dried his hair, he got dressed, gathered some note taking materials, and left for Satay. It was a 20-minute walk so he should make it there roughly five minutes early. As Link walked, he wondered if Sidon would be as bubbly as he was in writing. Well, he would find out soon enough.

============

When Link walked through the door of the small Thai restaurant, he hardly had a moment to look around before he heard a voice, much to loud for such a small restaurant, call out to him:

“Hey, Link, over here!”

Link looked farther in to the restaurant, beyond a few tables of seemingly annoyed customers, to see Sidon standing up and waving both arms in the air like an idiot. 

“My god,” Link thought as a light blush colored his cheeks. “This guy is a total dork.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyoki_Tana makes a special cameo appearance! Thanks for being such an inspiration Kyoki!
> 
> Special thanks to KyDesert for his help and support!
> 
> I'll probably update twice a week unless I say otherwise. If everything goes according to plan, this fic is looking to be about 20 chapters long :) I hope you enjoy it and thanks so much for your support!
> 
> ps - Sorry if these beginning chapters seems a little slow. It'll pick up soon!


	3. Enter: Sidon!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating change, watch out for that if it concerns you.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Check out my tumblr and my YouTube:
> 
> https://skenandj.tumblr.com/
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA
> 
> See ya in the end notes :)

Sidon Nayru, dorky as he was with his beaming face and flailing arms, still cut a magnificent figure. He was about 6’4” and his perfect posture only served to accentuate his height. He was wearing a crisp white dress shirt with the top few buttons undone. Over his shirt was a slim-fit vest that showed off his beautifully long, lean, v-tapered torso. His shirt was tucked into belted dark-wash skinny jeans that revealed a well-muscled lower body. To complete the outfit, Sidon was wearing a pair of chic dress shoes that matched his belt. Link looked back up to Sidon’s face. Framing it was stunning, long, dark-crimson hair. Most of it was elegantly tied back in a braid but some of the shorter hairs fell loosely on either side of his face. His eyes were absolutely enchanting: they were uniquely golden and his dorky expression belied the sensitivity and wisdom his eyes held. 

As he looked over Sidon, Link’s face gradually turned a few shades redder. Link always knew that Sidon was handsome but he had never seen him this close up. The truth was that Sidon was the most absolutely beautiful person Link had ever seen. 

Link started walking over to him and Sidon met him halfway. With one hand on Link’s shoulder and the other free to gesticulate, Sidon guided Link back to their table while excitedly chatted away:

“Hello friend, thank you so much for meeting with me! I am very much so looking forward to this ensemble experience, I just know that you will do great! I was at the solo recital you gave last semester and it was absolutely incredible! I am so thankful that it was you that answered my request!

“Oh, excuse me friend, are you alright? Your face is awfully red. It is rather hot today; did you have a long walk? I’m terribly sorry, I should have picked some place closer…”

Link was absolutely blown away by Sidon’s energy level. He quickly dismissed Sidon’s concerns and apology lest Link find himself blushing even harder:

“I’m fine Sidon. Thank you.”

Honestly though, how could Link not blush after someone like Sidon practically assaulted him with compliments? It’s not like Link was even that great: Sidon was the incredible one here. 

Link and Sidon set their belongings down at their table and went up to the counter to order. When they got back to the table, Sidon began with a formal introduction.

“Thank you again, Link, for agreeing to play with me. Please allow me to properly introduce myself! My name is Sidon Nayru and I’m a senior here at Vanderbilt. My first major is in music of course but I also have a second major in business. My studies and practice take up most of my time but in my spare time I like to play grand strategy games and TCG games, mostly Magic. Oh, I’m sorry, I’m talking way too much about myself! What about you?”

“Well, my full name is Link Hyrule and I’m also a senior. My majors are in music and philosophy…”

Before Link could go on, Sidon excitedly interrupted: “Oh, philosophy! How exciting! What kinds of philosophy do you study?” 

“W-well,” Link stammered, “I’m mostly interested in the philosophy of language, literary criticism, and semiotics but I also enjoy classical philosophy.”

“That’s awesome Link. You’ll have to tell me more about it sometime!”

Link’s blush threatened to return. He never had someone seem so genuinely interested in him and what he did before. Sidon’s charisma really was incredible. 

“I would love to,” Link replied happily. 

“So Link, what do you like to do in your free time?”

“Well, for the most part I read and write. Sometimes I compose music and…”

Once more, Sidon excitedly interrupted: “Oh that’s incredible Link! What kind of music do you write?”

“Thanks Sidon,” Link said with a huge grin. He couldn’t help but smile at Sidon’s enthusiasm. “It’s kind of hard to describe. I guess it’s similar to movie or video game soundtracks.”

“You’ll have to show me that too!”

“Ok, I will,” Link said, breaking eye contact in a futile attempt to stop his grin from persisting. “Outside of music and school stuff, I also play video games. I mostly play RPGs but I enjoy fighting games too. I’ve been pretty busy recently though, there hasn’t been too much time for that stuff…” Link said, looking slightly downtrodden. 

Link looked up to reestablish eye contact. He was greeted with two eyes filled with genuine sympathy: “Aw, that’s too bad Link. Hopefully soon you’ll be able to find some time to relax soon,” Sidon said with a reassuring smile.

“Thanks Sidon. It’ll be fine though, really. Anyways, we should get down to business.”

“Ah yes, you’re right. I got us sidetracked. So, let’s talk about the ensemble. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Just one really, I’m curious to know what repertoire you want to perform,” Link answered.

“An excellent question! I put a great deal of thought into what we could perform. At first I thought we might perform a few short song cycles but I want something that is on a little grander of a scale. Well, as grand a scale as guitar and voice can be anyways! I was thinking perhaps we could perform John Dowland’s ‘First Booke of Songes’ in its entirety. The whole thing should last around an hour and 20 minutes. How does that sound to you?”

Link felt a slight bit of shame: hadn’t even considered music from the Renaissance. The music from that period really was lovely and it doesn’t get any better than Dowland. Plus it would be absolutely great to perform such a large work. It would make for a magnificent recital. Perhaps they could even record them and release a debut album. That would surely be an incredible start to a professional career. 

“That sounds like a really good idea” Link said. “When do you want to start?”

“Excellent, I’m glad you’re on board with it! Let’s plan to rehearse this Saturday. I actually have a copy of the whole thing for you. Here you go!”

Sidon reached into his backpack and pulled out a seemingly new copy of the music. 

“This is yours now!” Sidon said, handing the music over to Link.

“Wow Sidon, thanks so much. Are you sure it’s ok that I keep this? I’ll be careful with it, I can give it back…”

“No, no my friend! I insist you keep it! Consider this a small expression of my gratitude!”

“I really appreciate it, Sidon.” Link said as he carefully stored his new gift in his backpack. 

Just then, their food arrived.

“Ah, perfect timing. Thank you sir!” Sidon said.

“Of course, is there anything else either of you need?” The waiter politely asked.

Sidon looked at Link inquiringly. Link simply shook his head. 

“No, we are fine. Thank you very much!”

“You are very welcome. Please enjoy.”

And with that, the waiter left.

“So Link,” Sidon said. “If you don’t have any more questions then tell me more about your interests!”

============

As Sidon lied down on his bed to sleep, he reflected on the day’s events. He really did hope he made a good first impression on Link. He had always been a fan of Link’s musicality. Link wasn’t the flashiest player but he played with expressive maturity far beyond his age. He could make even the simplest of works sound like a masterpiece. Sidon was indeed very grateful that Link was the one who answered his call. Link seemed to like Sidon well enough: he readily took Sidon up on his offer to escort him back to his dorm and that made Sidon smile with joy. He had feared his personality might be a little too much for the quiet blonde although thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case. 

Sidon rolled over on his back. “Ah, what am I doing,” Sidon said out loud with a sigh. Link was his ensemble partner now. Did Sidon really want to risk making things awkward between them just for a chance to hit on Link; for a chance to satiate his selfish want? How frustrating! Sidon had to rebuff what seemed like daily advances from men and women alike. He wasn’t interested in any of them! He didn’t want what they had to offer. There was only one person who caught his attention in his entire life: Link. Yet he didn’t have the courage or the confidence to ask him out. Sidon had been crushing on Link ever since their freshman year and he barely found the courage to even introduce himself. Now they were partnered together and Sidon couldn’t bring himself to make a move.

Oh, how badly Sidon wanted Link. As he lied, alone with his thoughts, he felt a familiar stir in his body: his mind was now loose on a track that it had gone down many times before. Sidon sighed again in frustration as he quickly removed his underwear and started touching himself. He curled his fingers around his hardening cock and began stroking it. It didn’t take long for him to get close. Frustration quickly gave way to desperation as Sidon frantically picked up his pace, quietly panting Link’s name as he masturbated. Finally, Sidon’s vision whitened as he reached his bliss. Basking in the afterglow, only one thing was on Sidon’s mind: Link.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what y'all think!
> 
> Part of this chapter was inspired by this magnificent art by toon-linked:
> 
> https://toon-linked.tumblr.com/post/161950369904/a-quick-sidlink-comic
> 
> Check it out!
> 
> Edit: Just cleaned up some diction, no major changes.


	4. Link's Cousin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hai! I have a Tumblr and a YouTube, check em out!
> 
> https://skenandj.tumblr.com/
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA
> 
> Check the end notes out for some update stuff.

Link spent the next few days diligently practicing for his Saturday rehearsal with Sidon. He told Sidon he would get as far as he could but that he would probably only manage to get three or four songs to a point where he would feel comfortable rehearsing them. Sidon reassured him, saying that was absolutely perfect and that Link was incredible for being able to learn that many songs so quickly. Together, Link and Sidon decided on the three songs that they would work on for certain during their Saturday rehearsal and then a fourth incase they made it that far. The three sure songs were “I. Unquiet Thoughts,” “XI. Come Away, Come Sweet Love,” and “XVIII. His Golden Locks.” Their fourth “bonus” song would be “XX. Come Heavy Sleep.” While Link was fairly familiar with most of Dowland’s songs, he was very familiar with “Come Heavy Sleep.” After all, it was the basis for one of the pieces he was going to play on his senior recital in the spring semester: “Nocturnal” by Benjamin Britten. Thankfully, Link had the foresight to learn his entire senior recital repertoire during his summer vacation so all he had to do now was maintain it. He could afford to spend a good amount of his practice time working on the Dowland songs. 

The rest of Link’s coursework was relatively uneventful. For the most part, it was just a great deal of reading, writing, and practicing German; a lot of practicing German. But, Link figured, it would be worth it once he was able to understand the vast wealth of rich and diverse texts the Germans and Austrians had to offer. So much philosophy and music was written in German. If Link settled on scholarship over performance, being able to consult those primary resources would be incredibly valuable.

After cursing at his alarm and cleaning up, Link checked his email early Friday, as he did every day, and noticed he had a message from his cousin. He was always excited to hear from her. She was one year older than him but they always got along when they were young. Link had only recently learned that she was starting her first semester at Vanderbilt pursuing an MBA. It had been so long since they last met. They always maintained communication but the last time Link saw her was the summer before his senior year of high school at her going-away party. She was going away to study at Washington University in St. Louis. It wasn’t terribly far from where Link ended up but with their rigorous schedules they never managed to meet up. Now that they were at the same university, hopefully that would change. Link excitedly opened the email and surveyed the contents:

“Hello my dear cousin,

“I’m sorry you are only now hearing from me. I have been terribly busy but that is no decent excuse. There is good news though! I am now at Vanderbilt so we can finally meet up again. Is there any chance we can meet over lunch today at the dining center? Does noon work for you? I very much so look forward to hearing from you.

“Best,  
Zelda Hyrule”

 

Link emphatically hit reply and began typing his response:

“Hi Zelda! 

“It is so great to hear from you. Yes, I heard you are at Vanderbilt now, that is great news! I hope you like it here. 

“I can meet today over lunch but I have a class that lets out from across campus at noon so I’ll probably show up around 12:10. Is that still ok?

“With love,  
Link”

 

Oh, how Link was excited to finally meet with Zelda again. He really did miss his beloved cousin. She was the closest thing he had to a sister. It didn’t take long for Zelda to send her response:

“Link, 12:10 is absolutely great! I’ll see you then, I look forward to catching up with you.”

Link smiled as he finished drying his hair and got ready for his 8:00 AM philosophy class. 

============

Link felt somewhat bad for his history of Western music class. For the second time this week, he wanted nothing more than the class to be over. His philosophy class went by much quicker than this one, which seemed to drag on forever. As if to torture Link, the professor rambled on for a few minutes past the end time of the class. As soon as class was dismissed, Link flung his materials into his backpack and bolted for the door.

============

Link could see Zelda sitting alone, waiting patiently for him. She always had such a commanding presence. There was only one other person that Link knew who carried themself in a similar manner, Sidon, but Zelda did so without a 6’4” frame. She was still taller than Link though: this was the source of nearly constant teasing from Zelda. Really though, teasing aside, she was such an incredible person. She was always among the absolute best and brightest wherever she went. Throughout the years, Link heard jealous family members or friends complain, wishing that they were born with that kind of “natural talent.” Link knew the truth: Zelda worked incredibly hard. She graciously acknowledged what privileges she had, worked meticulously to understand and correct her shortcomings, and managed to skillfully navigate the cutthroat environment of the elite academic upper echelon. It was never effortless, no matter how easy she made it seem. She was a person to be admired and Link always considered himself honored to be her friend. As he approached her, she noticed him and smiled brightly. That really was one of his favorite sights. He didn’t realize how much he missed it during their four years apart. Link smiled back as she got up to hug him.

“Link, it’s been so long!” Zelda said as she hugged him tightly. “Look at you; you’ve grown to be nearly as tall as me!”

Link let out a familiar laugh. It suddenly felt like no time had passed at all. “Thanks Zelda,” Link said, smiling: “One of these days I’ll catch up to you.”

“Well, I look forward to that day. Let’s go get some food, we can catch up while we wait in line!”

Link and Zelda made their way around the university’s dining center trying to find the food that looked the best. They ultimately settled on huge salads. Zelda spent most of the time telling Link about her move from St. Louis to Nashville and some landlord issue she was having. “Never a dull moment with her,” Link thought lovingly as Zelda grew increasingly irate from retelling her story. By the time they made it back to their table, Zelda pivoted the conversation:

“What about you Link? What have you been up to?”

“Well…I play a lot of guitar…”

“Surely that isn’t all you do! How is your social life? Are you getting out enough? Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Zelda…”

“…a boyfriend?”

“Zelda!”

“Alright, alright!” Zelda said, failing to restrain her laughter. “I won’t pry. You really should get out more though, at least a little bit…oh, I know! Are you in a band? I imagine Nashville must be such a great place for that! I remember how much you liked being in one in high school.”

“Well…no, I’m not. I…I really wish I was in one but…well, I never managed to get one together,” Link confessed as he quickly averted his eyes. There was silence for a few seconds before Link looked back at Zelda. 

With her eyebrows cocked and her arms folded across her chest, she looked thoroughly unimpressed. 

“B-but,” Link stumbled, “I am in a guitar voice duo!’

Zelda’s face immediately brightened as soon as Link started trying to appease her.

“That is excellent Link! With whom?”

“Well, his name is Sidon Nayru…”

“Wow,” Zelda interrupted, wide eyed. “The Sidon Nayru? From what I gather, even though he’s only an undergraduate student, he is one of the most promising scholars and businesspersons here! That is incredible, I didn’t know he was a singer too!”

Now it was Link’s turn to widen his eyes in shock. Link didn’t know Sidon was so academically distinguished. For Zelda to praise him so, he must really be a hot shot. 

“Wow, I didn’t know that about him. He is actually also an incredibly talented singer. He’s one of the strongest singers in our generation…”

Link drifted off into thought: “There really are such incredible people here.” Link drifted slightly deeper into though, approaching existential crisis: “Am I one of those incredible people? All I’ve ever been is passable and I’ve worked so hard to get where I am…”

Zelda’s expression shifted to concern as she saw Link’s mood plummet. “Link…” Zelda said tenderly as she placed her hands around his. “You two will be absolutely great together, I can’t think of a better combination.”

“Thanks Zelda,” Link said. His chest tightened as he smiled. He really did appreciate what Zelda was trying to do.

They spent the rest of their time together talking about things to do around the city, good places to eat, and what bands were coming through. As their lunch meeting came to a close, Link gave Zelda a quick hug before guaranteeing that, busy as they both were, they would meet again soon.

============

As Link prepared for bed that evening, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. He learned all the songs that he needed to: he even learned the bonus song so it wasn’t lack of preparation that made him feel this way. Then what was it? Sure, Sidon was an incredible singer. He was also apparently an incredible scholar but neither of those facts should have made Link this nervous. Link just couldn’t place his finger on it.

He let out a sigh as he tried to relax, taking deep breaths in and out. As he slowly drifted to sleep, he hoped he wouldn’t be so nervous when he woke up. The last thing he wanted to do was make a fool of himself in front of Sidon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hai again! Hope you liked it!
> 
> So, school is picking up and I, unlike Link, did not upfront my senior recital material so this is going to be a wild semester for me. And, with this release, the word count for this fic is higher than my senior thesis :'( 
> 
> I'll probably update every other week from now until I get ahead. So sorry!
> 
> Let me know what you think so far though! And I promise rock band stuff happens!


	5. Come away, come, sweet love!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first rehearsal!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: Have too much work, going to have to update every other week.
> 
> Also me: Here, have some back to back chapters!
> 
> I can't help myself! Check out my Tumblr and YouTube:
> 
> https://skenandj.tumblr.com/
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA

[11:00 AM]

“Sorry Sidon, I’m running about ten minutes late but I’m on my way!

“Link”

 

Of course he was running late for his first rehearsal: it was the Link thing to do. When it came to learning the materials for rehearsal, Link was always responsible. But when it came to making it on time? Not so much. Last night he was so worried he might make a fool of himself, he never imagined he would make an ass of himself. Sure enough, there Link was, with damp, un-dried hair, making his way out of his dorm with his guitar in one hand and his phone in the other. He almost always made it to class early and was practically never actually late so why, Link wondered, was he almost always late for rehearsals? It didn’t make sense and Link feared it never might. His previous ensemble partners learned that rehearsal at 11:00 meant, at best, rehearsal at 11:05. 

“No worries, friend! I only just arrived myself. I’ll see you soon! I’ll be warming up in room 2119!

“Sidon”

 

“Well, at least he isn’t upset,” Link thought to himself, currently only halfway to his destination. Actually, Link had a hard time imagining Sidon being angry. Link imagined it didn’t happen often but when it did it was probably a fearsome sight to behold. With the music school now in sight, Link started to get into rehearsal mode. He went quickly over each song they were to rehearse, spending some extra time visualizing the trickier parts. He had already committed the four songs to memory. Memorizing music was something Link was actually rather good at, even relative to his peers. As Link opened the door to the music school, he realized something: he had completely neglected to look at the lyrics or the melodies of the Dowland songs. Whoops. Well, it wasn’t the most vital thing for a guitarist at a first rehearsal but it definitely would have helped. Link shrugged it off as he worked his was to the second floor practice rooms: “oh well, lesson learned.” Next time he wouldn’t forget.

When Link made it to the practice room wing, he paused and felt his heart flutter as he heard an unmistakable sound. It was a sound Link had come to believe was one of the purest embodiments of beauty he had ever come across. It was Sidon’s voice. Even though he was just warming up, his voice was absolutely stunning. In that moment, Link felt as though he was the luckiest man on the planet. He wondered if all of Sidon’s past collaborators felt the same way. Even if Link managed to convince Sidon to join him for another semester of chamber ensemble, they would still part ways at the end of the school year. Link wondered if Sidon would go on to graduate school. If so, would he choose music or something else? From Zelda’s claims, he was as distinguished a scholar as he was a musician. Or, perhaps Sidon would just go on to start competing and performing. Despite the unlikelihood, Link held out a sliver of hope that they might end up at the same graduate school and, even more unlikely, that Sidon would remain in a chamber duo with him. Well, assuming Sidon didn’t get bored of him. 

Link let out a sigh as he knocked on the door. 

“Oh, Link, is that you? Please come in my friend!” Sidon called from the other side of the door. 

Link let himself in and barely managed to restrain his laughter at what he saw. Link hadn’t thought about it before, but the practice rooms were rather small, even for him. But Sidon...Sidon looked absolutely cramped. 

“Sidon,” Link said. “Why on Earth did you choose such a small practice room? We can move to a larger one. You would feel a lot more comfortable…” Link said, amusement heavy in his voice.

“Well,” Sidon huffed, “I figured it would be awfully inconsiderate if we took up one of the larger rooms and a bigger chamber ensemble came along to rehearse!” 

“I’m sure it will be fine. It’s 11:00 AM on a Saturday. We are the only ones here and I don’t think anyone else will come.”

“Hmm…” Sidon pondered thoughtfully as he held his chin in his hand.

“Plus if any larger group does come, we can just move to another room. It’s way to cramped in here, come on, let’s move,” Link said as he already started to exit the practice room. 

“Good idea, friend! Very well then, I’ll be in there in just a minute!” Sidon exclaimed as he started packing up his materials.

Link smiled as he walked over to the larger rooms. “My god, what an absolute dork.”

Link tuned up and prepared his sheet music while he waited for Sidon to move his belongings into the larger practice room. When Sidon finally appeared settled, Link asked: “so Sidon, is there any particular order you want to do these in?”

“Oh, thank you for asking! Hmm, let’s go with this order: ‘Unquiet Thoughts,’ ‘His Golden Locks,’ ‘Come Heavy Sleep,’ and ‘Come Away, Come Sweet Love.’ Is that good with you? And, for now, let’s just keep it to the first verse.”

“That’s good with me,” Link said as he opened his book up to the first song, “Unquiet Thoughts.” Link waited for Sidon to settle in. Before they began, they made eye contact. Then, Sidon gave the upbeat with a quick inhalation and they were off.

 _Unquiet thought! your civil slaughter sting,_  
_And wrap your wrongs within a pensive heart,_  
_And you my tongue that makes my mouth a mint,_  
_And stamp my thoughts to coin them word by art,_  
_Be still! for if you ever do the like,_  
_I’ll cut the string that makes the hammer strike._

By the time they reached the final cadence of the first verse, Link felt himself tremble with awe. It was one thing to hear Sidon sing in a recital hall, Link thought, but it was something completely different to hear him sing so up-close. His voice really was nothing short of absolute perfection. 

“Wow Link, you were amazing!” Sidon exclaimed as he clasped his hands together excitedly. “How did that feel? How did I do?”

“Thanks,” Link said. “I think that went pretty well. Let’s run it two or three more times just so we’re comfortable with it. And Sidon; you were incredible.”

“Oh, thank you for saying so my friend!”

Wait, was that a blush Link caught on Sidon’s face? “No, it couldn’t have been,” Link chastised himself as he chased his hopeful thought away. “From the top?” Link asked. Sidon nodded, prepared, then gave the upbeat again.

After “Unquiet Thoughts” was “His Golden Locks” and then “Come Heavy Sleep.” They followed the same process, going through them four times each. Link got to relax a bit during “Come Heavy Sleep.” Unlike the first two, he was very familiar with “Come Heavy Sleep” so he had a chance to listen more closely to Sidon’s voice. As he half-listened, half-played, Link figured that this was going to be his favorite semester by far. When they finished up with the third song, they were about 40 minutes into their rehearsal. All they had left now was “Come Away, Come Sweet Love.” As Link paged back to find the correct place in his book, Sidon spoke up:

“Actually, Link, do you mind if we do all the verses for this one?” Sidon looked almost sheepish as he asked. “Wow,” Link thought. “ I never thought I would see Sidon like this. He’s only ever radiated confidence anytime I’ve ever seen him. What a rare look. Actually, like this…he looks kind of…cu-“

“Not at all, I’d be glad to!” Link said abruptly as he caught himself staring at Sidon’s face for a little longer than what one might consider polite. 

“Ah, excellent! If you’re ready, then?” Link nodded. Sidon and Link made brief eye contact before Sidon gave them the upbeat. The first two times through the song, Link was back to being stuck in his own world. Out of the four songs they learned, this was the one he was the weakest at. By the third time through, he was feeling much more comfortable with it. It was a good thing they decided to do all the verses; Link needed the rehearsal on this one. During the third go-through, out of the corner of his eye Link noticed Sidon frequently glancing at him. Link was worried: was Sidon upset with him? Was he making some kind of mistake? After the final cadence, Link asked Sidon:

“Well Sidon, how was that?” Link feared the answer he might receive. He didn’t think he made any error but he admittedly didn’t know this song as well as he should have. The last thing he wanted to do was upset his incredible partner.

“It was absolutely great my friend! How was I? Was my diction clear enough? I fear it might not have been.”

“Oh…well,” Link stumbled, anticipating a negative response, “I was a little too caught up in my own part, I didn’t really notice. I’ll pay closer attention this time though!”

“Oh, thank you friend! Please do! Also, let’s take it at a slower tempo for this last time through.”

“Ok, that sounds good. Ready when you are.”

This time, Link paid close attention to what Sidon was saying. Sidon gave them the signal.

 _Come away, come, sweet love!_  
_The golden morning breaks,_  
_All the earth, all the air,_  
_Of love and pleasure speaks._  
_Teach thine arms then to embrace,_  
_And sweet rosy lips to kiss,_  
_And mix our souls in mutual bliss._  
_Eyes were made for beauty’s grace,_  
_Viewing, rueing, love’s long pain,_  
_Procured by beauty’s long disdain._

Throughout the first verse, Sidon was doing it again. This time he looked at Link more frequently and he held eye contact longer. At the slower tempo, Link was absolutely sure he wasn’t making any mistakes. He decided to glance up at Sidon. Maybe then he could figure out what was going on.

Link wasn’t prepared for what he saw. As soon as their eyes connected, Sidon let flash a brilliant smile. Link was dumbfounded. Link dropped a beat before he managed to compose himself. He blushed and quickly dropped his eyes back to his sheet music as they made their way to the second verse.

 _Come away, come, sweet love!_  
_The golden morning wastes!_  
_While the sun, from his sphere,_  
_His fiery arrows casts,_  
_Making all the shadows fly,_

Halfway through the second verse, Link managed to finally compose himself enough to listen to Sidon’s diction. He wasn’t sure what Sidon was worried about; his diction seemed completely perfect. Link could understand every word perfectly. Then, Link noticed Sidon was looking at him again. Or had he never stopped looking at him? Link risked another quick glance up, just to make sure. Yup, still looking. Right at him. Smiling. Link blushed as he listened to Sidon sing the rest of the song, paying close attention to the lyrics.

 _Playing, staying, in the grove,_  
_To entertain the stealth of love._  
_Thither, sweet love, let us hie,_  
_Flying, dying, in desire,_  
_Wing’d with sweet hopes and heav’nly fire._

 _Come away, come, sweet love!_  
_Do not in vain adorn,_  
_Beauty’s grace, that should rise_  
_Like to the naked morn._  
_Lilies on the riverside,_  
_And fair Cyprian flowers new blown,_  
_Desire no beauties but their own._  
_Ornament is nurse of pride;_  
_Pleasure, measure, love’s delight:_  
_Haste then, sweet love, our wished flight._

Sure enough, Sidon looked at Link the whole time. Link was puzzled as to why. It was almost as if Sidon was singing to him rather than with him. Link felt his body heat up as he thought of what Sidon might be doing. “No way,” Link thought, quickly killing the thought. “Surely a guy like him has a girlfriend. There’s no way he would be interested in me. I just must be missing something…of course, he has his music memorized. He’s just practicing looking at an audience! That must be it.”

“Well, how was that Link?”

“It…it was perfect Sidon. I could make out every word.” Link said, face red and avoiding eye contact. He was so embarrassed that he thought, even for a second, that Sidon was flirting with him. “I really should get going though…” Link continued as he began to pack up his belongings, clearly flustered.

“Oh, alright,” Sidon said, confused by Link’s hurry. “Well, I did keep us over the hour, I hope I didn’t make you late for anything.”

“No, no! I mean, it’s fine, I just have a lot of work to do...” It wasn’t a lie.

“Of course, I understand,” Sidon said as he moved out of Link’s way. The blonde was clearly in a hurry, scuttling out of the practice room with his guitar in tow. “Hey, Link, what about our next rehearsal?” Sidon called out to Link who was already halfway down the hallway.

“I’ll email you!” Link shouted to an increasingly confused Sidon.

“Thank god he can’t see my face” Link thought. As Link hurried back to his dorm, he realized how ridiculous that must have looked. “Great,” Link thought. “I managed to make an ass and a fool of myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Fuck, how did that not work?" - Sidon Nayru, 2017


	6. Exposure!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cw: this is something I should have brought up earlier but there will be references to mental illness, specifically depression and anxiety. Please be careful if that is something that you are sensitive to. It is in the tags now also.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, here's the full thing! 
> 
> My tumblr and YouTube, check 'em out!
> 
> https://skenandj.tumblr.com/
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA
> 
> Important update stuff in the end notes!

A few days had passed since Link’s embarrassing display during his first rehearsal with Sidon. Of course his actual performance was fine. He only made one mistake and that was right after Sidon practically knocked him out with that smile. And oh, what a smile it was. Link spent most of his waking hours thinking about that gorgeous smile. He spent most of his sleeping hours dreaming of it too. Link wondered how it was that such a simple gesture, a smile, left his mind in such a mess. No one had ever affected him like this before. Sure, Link had a few innocent crushes in high school and even a few short-lived romances but he never felt anything to this degree. And his exes certainly weren’t of Sidon’s caliber. Then again, who was? God, how Link wished that Sidon’s smile signified romantic interest but he knew, convinced himself, that it didn’t. What would Sidon want with someone like him? Sidon was exceptional and Link was just so…average. 

Link shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed clarity if he was going to write Sidon a good redemption email. How could he possibly make himself look better? “Ugh, what a situation,” Link thought as he deleted his fifth attempt at starting an email. He couldn’t think of a single way to explain away his behavior. Maybe he should just pretend like nothing happened.

Just as he resolved himself, he noticed a new email in his inbox.

“From: Sidon Nayru  
“Subject: Link!”

Fuck. Link opened the email:

“Hello friend!

“I hope all is well. I can’t help but think that I must have offended you somehow and I am so terribly sorry! I’ll make it up to you: let’s get lunch tomorrow! It’s on me!

“I hope to see you then, please do tell me you can make it!  
Sidon”

Shit. This is the second time Sidon offered to buy Link a meal. And (as if Link could fool himself) this would be the second time Link accepted Sidon’s offer. In reality, Link was happy Sidon was the one who contacted him and sooner rather than later. Given his anxiety, Link might have never sent that email out. Still, he did feel a little guilty about Sidon placing the blame on himself. The whole ordeal was Link’s fault after all. With some of his stress relieved, Link typed out his reply.

“Oh no, Sidon! It’s hard to explain but I guarantee you didn’t do anything to offend me! I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, I’ve been very busy recently.”

It still wasn’t a lie.

“I would be glad to take you up on your lunch offer though!

“Link”

Phew. Link could feel the stress slowly melt away as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. At least the Sidon situation was taken care of. Now he could get on with his work. He hadn’t been able to handle it very efficiently when 90% of his brainpower was dedicated to figuring out what to say to Sidon. Now that that was somewhat resolved, he could knock out some of those intense Russell readings. Even if his mind was still half-thinking of Sidon. 

============

After he finished reading and drafting his outline, Link decided that was enough work for the day. He saved and closed his documents then he reopened his email. Naturally, there was a response from Sidon waiting to be opened. 

“Thank goodness! I was so worried that I did something wrong! 

“I look forward to lunch tomorrow! What time works well for you?

“Sidon”

 

“I actually don’t have any classes on Tuesday so whatever time works best for you is great for me,

“Link”

 

“Excellent, I only have one class and it’s at 9:00! Let’s aim for an early lunch so we beat the rush. Are you alright with 11:00 at the pub?

“Sidon”

“That sounds great, Sidon. I’ll see you then.

“Link”

============

“Alright, here we go,” Sidon thought as he tried to pump himself up. He totally bombed his attempt to flirt with Link during their rehearsal. Maybe Sidon came on too strong. Link was such a beautiful man, Sidon figured he was used to getting romantic attention. Perhaps he miscalculated. After all, he never imagined Link would get so flustered. Sigh, he was going to have to tread lightly from here on out if he was going to have a chance. Hopefully he could turn things around during today’s lunch date. 

“Oh goodness!” Sidon exclaimed as he looked at the time. It was 10:50. Good thing Sidon looked at his phone when he did, he had just enough time to get ready. Thankfully, his dorm was right next to the dining center: it would take him only a minute to get there. Sidon carefully brushed through his long, crimson hair before he skillfully weaved it into a braid. He tried on a few different outfits before he settled on one. He put on some cologne then left for the pub.

============

Link made a point to show up early this time. He didn’t want Sidon to get the impression that he didn’t care. Link forgot that the pub didn’t open until 11 on the dot so there he was, playing pool in the waiting area until the pub opened. Link always did enjoy playing pool but he always had a hard time finding people to play with. Social interaction wasn’t always the easiest thing for Link. He didn’t have any problems once he became friends with the person but meeting new people was so difficult for Link. This normally wasn’t too much of a problem because Link had a comfortably tight-knit group of friends that he made in his first year. Unfortunately, they were all one year above Link. That meant that in this last year, all of Link’s friends had moved on. Of course, it wasn’t all bad. Link still stayed in close contact with his friends. He also had a few friends scattered around campus that he was moderately close to and Zelda was also here now. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little lonely. So there Link was, feeling lonely as he played pool by himself while waiting for the pub to open. Link quickly glanced at his phone. 10:56. Ugh, still four minutes left. “Oh well,” Link though as he bent over to line up a shot. Hmm, he couldn’t quite get the proper angle. While keeping his left foot on the ground, Link lifted his right leg up and rested it on the table, effectively straddling the pool table. God, this always felt so awkward but hell, it worked. As Link resumed lining up his shot, he heard an unmistakable voice from behind him.

“Oh goodness…I mean, uh, hello Link!”

Oh shit.

Link cringed as he turned his head and saw Sidon standing a few feet away, heavily blushing as his eyes tried to stay focused on Link’s face, clearly struggling and failing to not look at Link’s ass.

Oh fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sidon knows the path to ~~my~~ Link's heart is food.
> 
> Hope y'all like it, let me know what you think! I love hearing from y'all <3
> 
> IMPORTANT UPDATE INFO: 
> 
> So, university obligations are piling up and my free time is basically gone now. Unfortunately, I won't be able to update anywhere near as regularly as I have been. I can get a chapter out mid-October and a chapter or two mid-November. I (hopefully!) graduate in mid-December so I should be able to get back to a once-or-twice-a-week update schedule then. So sorry for the impending slow down. Love y'all and thanks so much for the support!


	7. Getting Over It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to a productive week, I had time to write a chapter today! Here it is! And of course my tumblr and YouTube channel (content is coming, I swear!):
> 
> https://skenandj.tumblr.com/  
> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA
> 
> Check the end notes for credits and update info!

“Well, I should be just a few minutes early,” Sidon thought as he walked up the stairs of the dining center. The pub was on the third floor. “I wonder if Link will be late again.” Sidon would have to remember to give Link his phone number this time. Would that seem a little to forward? Especially considering his recent failure…no, of course not! It would just be an easier way for them to communicate, especially if they were on the fly. It was perfectly logical! Still, Sidon hoped the double meaning of the gesture wouldn’t be completely lost. 

Sidon could hear the clack of pool balls in the distance. Someone must have been playing pool outside the pub. “Oh, that’s right,” Sidon thought. “The pub doesn’t open until 11:00.” As Sidon climbed the last staircase, he pulled out his phone and checked his email. He wanted to make sure Link wasn’t running late or didn’t cancel. Thank goodness, he wasn’t and he didn’t. At least, he didn’t say anything. Sidon tucked his phone back in his pocket as he reached the top of the final staircase. Sure enough, the pub was still unopened. As Sidon turned his attention to the pool tables, he froze. It was Link playing pool. Except…oh my god, his pose. It was so suggestive. Link was bent over the pool table and had one foot on the floor. His other leg was resting on top of the table. He was effectively straddling the pool table! Sidon involuntarily let out an “oh goodness!” Oh dear. Sidon felt his body heating up, perspiration forming on his brow, as he realized he just said something out loud. He noticed Link flinch. “I mean, uh…” Sidon stammered as he tried to focus on Link’s eyes. “Hello Link!” Oh, how difficult it was to avoid looking at Link’s pert rear. It was so perfect. Sidon couldn’t remember the last time he felt this aroused. He took in a short breath. He had to be careful; he couldn’t risk an erection now. Link would think he was a total pervert. He couldn’t ruin his last chance!

Sidon closed his eyes took a deep breath as he composed himself. Phew, he could feel his body cooling down a bit. Sidon took one last calming breath in before he opened his eyes. 

So much for calm and composed, what he saw made his heart start racing all over again. Link was playing pool no longer. Now he was standing up and facing Sidon. Well, his body was facing Sidon but Link’s gaze was directed right at the floor. “Uhh,” Link said as he raised his head to meet Sidon’s gaze. “Hi Sidon. You’re here early…. “ Now it was Link’s face that was a deep red, wearing an embarrassed look. Then it dawned on Sidon. Link caught him staring at his ass! “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod” Sidon thought as words failed to form on his tongue. “What do I say?”

Just then, saved by serendipity, the metal storefront opened up and a voice called out: “a’ight, y’all can come in! We’re open now!” 

============

Link and Sidon chose a quiet booth in the back of the pub. Time spent ordering their food managed to diffuse a bit of the awkwardness. By the time they were seated and waiting for their food they both seemed to have calmed down a bit. It was Link who first broke the silence.

“Hey, thanks for buying my food Sidon, I appreciate it. You really didn’t have to.”

Oh thank god. Formalities. Sidon could handle formalities. 

“It is no problem my friend! After all, I was the one who offered in the first place!”

“Well, I really do appreciate it, thank you!” Link said with a warm smile. That caught Sidon by surprise. So...Link wasn’t mad at him? Even after Link caught him basically sneaking up on him and checking him out? Well, at any rate, that meant that Sidon hadn’t completely blown his chance. Now, to put his patented charm to work…

“You are very welcome my friend! Now, I must ask: how are you liking the Dowland? I was a little worried that I might have pushed for it a little too hard…”

“Oh, I love it Sidon! I’m so glad you suggested it. Plus, I’ve been so focused on modern music recently; it’s really good for my musicianship to play some pieces from the Renaissance.”

“Well, I’m glad you find it helpful then! And do you have any musical interests outside of classical music?” Sidon asked.

“Well…yes actually.” Link said bashfully. “When I was in high school I was, um, in a rock band.”

“Goodness, that is wonderful Link! I had no idea! You always seemed so quiet, a loud rock band is quite the contrast!”

“Yeah, I was a bit…different in high school. You could say I went through a bit of a ‘phase.’” 

At that, Sidon chuckled. “That certainly is hard to imagine!” he said brightly. “And what kind of music did you play? Did you do covers or original material? Or maybe both?”

“We started out playing covers but as we went on we tried doing some original material. It was kind of amateurish though, we were just kids after all.”

“I’m sure it was wonderful! Truth be told, I was in a rock band when I was in high school too, although we only did covers.”

Link’s ears perked up at that. “Oh really? I never would have guessed. Who did you cover?”

“Well, we mostly covered older rock bands like Queen, AC/DC, and Thin Lizzy but…we also did some covers of pop songs in a rock style.”

“That’s cool! What pop songs did you cover?”

“Umm, we did some Adam Lambert songs and some Lady Gaga songs. We were invited to play for our school’s LGBT student alliance weekend party and those were some suggestions that were floating around,” Sidon said, somewhat bashfully.

Link smiled. The thought that Sidon was an ally was very comforting. Of course, most university students these days were LGBT friendly. This was especially true at a music school. Still, Link took solace in knowing that Sidon was an accepting person. That made Link feel a lot better about being himself in front of Sidon, knowing that Sidon wouldn’t mind his queerness.

“Wow, that’s awesome Sidon! I wish our school had something like that. I went to a small, Catholic high school so, of course, nothing like that was allowed…. Anyways, do you have any video of it? You should show me the arrangement some time, I’d love to hear it!”

Now it was Sidon’s turn for his ears to perk up. Link…wished his school had something like that. So…does that mean…. Hmm, maybe. Sidon was starting to worry that Link wasn’t really into guys. Honestly, Sidon had no reason to think Link would return his attraction. He just had a hope, a feeling that maybe they could be together…

“I think there might be some video of it on Facebook somewhere. Are you on Facebook? If so, you should add me and I’ll tag you in the comments.” Of course, Sidon knew Link was on Facebook. Link had come up in his friend suggestions frequently but Sidon never had the courage to send the request.

“Yeah, I am. I’ll add you right now. I’m not sure why I didn’t think to do that earlier.” Naturally, Link knew Sidon was on Facebook. He wanted to send him a friend request so many times but he always talked himself out of it: what would the Sidon Nayru want with him? Would he even know who he was?

“Excellent!” Sidon exclaimed as they both pulled out their phones, Sidon to find the video and Link to send the request. 

Suddenly, they were both startled as a loud voice call out, “SIIIIIIIDON! HEY GUYS, CHECK IT OUT! SIDON IS HERE!”

“Oh god,” Sidon whispered, a small smile forming on his face as a group of six approached them.

“Who are they?” Link asked, puzzled.

“We’re all in the same voice studio,” Sidon said as he perked up to greet his friends. 

“Hello my friends, what are you all doing here?”

“Hey Sidon,” one of them said as the group approached their booth. “We were just here to grab some food. I didn’t imagine I would see you here all al – oh, so sorry, I didn’t see you there!” he said as he noticed Link, who let out a wave.

“Ah yes, let me introduce everyone. Link, this are my studio mates, Peleus, Jon, Rivan, Thetis, Canute, and Dunma,” Sidon said as each of them gave a wave when he said their respective names. “Everyone, this is Link.”

“Oh, is this your new boyfriend?” Rivan asked genuinely.

It was a bad moment for Sidon to have taken a drink from his soda. It took all his effort to not spit it out or choke on it as he swallowed it. “W-w-what are you talking about?” Sidon chocked out, his voice just a little too high. 

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right!” Dunma joined in. “Isn’t there some guy that you’ve been crushing on for a while now?”

“You know, ‘short, blonde, has the cutest blue eyes,’ whatever else you said…” Thetis said flatly. 

At this point, Sidon was shooting them daggers. He could see his last chance going up in flames.

“Well, I think you two make a cute couple,” Jon said quietly. 

“No, no guys, it isn’t like that. This is Link, _my chamber ensemble partner_.” Sidon said with added emphasis as he looked at all of them pleadingly. He could see Link out of the corner of his eye. Link had no clue what was going on. Quizzical looks were given all around. 

"Link...but isn't that..." Rivan started, until suddenly his eyes knowingly lit up.

“Oh! Oh dear. Oh my god, my mistake,” Rivan said, blushing. “I’m so sorry Sidon. Uhh, come on guys, let’s grab a table, I’m exhausted.”

“Oh yeah, me too!” Peleus chirped. “See ya Sidon. See ya Link, it was nice meeting you!”

And with waves goodbye, they were off. 

“Holy shit,” Sidon thought to himself. “They just sank me! Thank god Rivan noticed when he did, otherwise…”

“So…” Link said, causing Sidon to unbury his face from his hands. Sidon’s heart dropped when he saw Link’s face. It looked...sad. “You have a boyfriend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, hope you like it. Let me know what y'all think! I'm so so glad that I had time to write this. I was feeling really bad about taking a month off so I'm glad it all worked out!
> 
> HUGE THANKS to Helvetious for letting me use her Zora OC's, Jon, Thetis, Peleus, and Canute! I love them so much and there's more of them to come! 
> 
> You can find them in "A Most Convenient Marriage" (https://archiveofourown.org/works/11060709/chapters/24663189)
> 
> ∞/10, highly recommend! It's a really great work! 
> 
> Hopefully I'll be able to do another chapter next weekend. I look forward to seeing you then maybe!
> 
> <3


	8. Zelda Meets Sidon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! This one is a bit on the shorter side. But! Things are starting to pick up now!
> 
> Come say hi on my [tumblr](https://skenandj.tumblr.com/).
> 
> See ya in the end notes!

“So, you have a boyfriend?”  


“Oh no,” Sidon though. How was he going to clear this up? Goodness, he never knew romancing Link would be this…perilous. Why, Sidon was almost certain he’d lost a sliver of his lifespan worrying about his next moves these past weeks. So here he was, in yet another uncomfortable situation, wondering how was it that this kept happening between them.  


“Oh no, I’m happily single!” As soon as he said it, Sidon internally flinched. Trying to calm himself down, he though over and over again “diction, Sidon. Mind your diction.”  


“But I thought you were interested in someone?” Link answered, somewhat puzzled.  


“No, no, that was just a misunderstanding!” Oh no! What did he just say? At this rate, Link was going to think Sidon was totally not interested in him. Sidon realized he was rapidly losing it and he had to pivot hard. “Well, it’s…complicated. But enough about that, what were we talking about before?”  


“Rock band stuff?”  


Sidon felt a wave of relief wash over him. Link seemed pretty content to leave his romantic interests alone for the moment. Sidon was glad Link didn’t press the issue further: who knows what other idiotic comments Sidon might make if they continued on that topic. Although he was fairly surprised that Link didn’t straight up know what was going on at that point…  
“Ah yes, that’s right! I was going to find that video for you!” With that, Sidon resumed his search. After about a minute, Sidon found it. With a flutter in his heart, he accepted Link’s friend request and tagged him in the video.  


“Alright Link, there you go! I hope you like it!”  


“If it’s you, I’m sure I will,” Link replied.  


“Oh god,” Sidon though. “What this boy does to my heart!”

“Link…I have a question to ask you…”  


“Yes?” Link prompted after Sidon took a little too long to continue.  


“…” Sidon couldn’t believe he was about to ask him. Sidon had dreamed about this moment for years: basically since he first heard Link play their freshman year. Oh goodness, he just had to get over his nerves.  


As Sidon started out, his eyes shyly traced over the surface of the table, avoiding eye contact with Link. “Link, will you…umm, do you…do you want to…” Then, Sidon found his conviction. He took a deep breath, looked up, and, through a whirlwind of emotion, loudly and proudly asked: “Link, would you like to form a rock band with me?”  


============  


The question took Link by surprise. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting but it certainly wasn’t that.  


“Oh, um yeah, I’d love to!” Link said. In that moment Link was so happy that he always brought his electric guitar and amp with him every year. He seldom got to use them and they were heavy and bulky, a total pain in the ass to transport every year, but if they enabled him to spend more time with Sidon then all the inconvenience was worth it 100 times over.  
“What about the rest of the band? Did you have anyone in mind?”  


“Oh, that…I didn’t think about that.” Sidon admitted sheepishly. “I can’t think of anyone else, do you have any ideas?”  
“Well, there are a few guys from Belmont that might be interested. We played together in the pit for a musical a few years back. Their names are Teba and Yunobo. Teba plays bass and Yunobo plays drums.. I’ll check in with them and see if they are interested!”

“Great! You are amazing, my friend! So that gives us four. I think that’s a great number for a band!”

“I think we can make do with four, but I’ll ask around to see if we can get another guitarist also. I like having two of us.”

“That sounds excellent, Link! I’ll make a group chat on Facebook so we can all communicate easier! Please do add them!”

“Will do, Sidon. So, did you have any particular material in mind?”

“Hmm. Well, I suppose we could start with some cover songs for now and then see if we want to do any original material later. How does that sound?”

“I think that’s great!”

“Alright. Let’s pick three songs each for us to start out with! If we get another guitarist, that’ll give us 15 tunes, plenty to work with! Hmm, and we have to think of a band name too...well, that can wait until we all have our first meeting! Oh, that reminds me, when will we rehearse next?”

Oh right, that. With the excitement of Sidon’s friends and Sidon’s band proposal, Link had completely forgotten about their rehearsal. Link had already started practicing the next three songs but he totally neglected to tell Sidon what those songs were.

“Is this weekend good again? Same time, same place?”

“Yes, that is perfect! Will we just rehearse the same songs or will we add some new ones?”

“I’ve actually been practicing some new ones and they should be ready by the weekend. The ones I’m learning are ‘VIII. Burst Forth my Tears,’ ‘XV. Wilt Thou Unkind,’ and ‘IXX. Awake, Sweet Love.’”

“Oh, wonderful! Those are all excellent choices!”

“Hey, Sidon...sorry to sidetrack us but...do you think our food is up? It has been a while…”

“Oh goodness! I completely forgot, I was so engrossed in our conversation. Let’s go check!”

As they went over to the food counter, Link was again startled by a loud voice shouting out:

“Liiiiiiiink!”

He would recognize that voice anywhere. He turned around with a bright smile on his face as he greeted his cousin, looking elegant as ever, standing at the ordering counter.

“Zelda! What a lovely surprise! Hey, Sidon, over here! This is my cousin Zelda! Zelda, this is Sidon!”

“Hello Zelda, it’s a pleasure to meet you!” Sidon cheerfully exclaimed as he extended his hand for a handshake.

Zelda reached out to reciprocate: “Thank you Sidon, it’s nice to meet you too! I’ve heard so much about you. Link tells me you’re quite the singer.”

“Oh, Link said that?” Sidon said with a warm smile, looking over to a now flushed Link. “Such praise warms my heart!”

“So, what are you two up to?” Zelda asked as she finished up at the order counter, paying for her meal.

“We are just out on a lunch-meeting. We’re talking about our music duo. Oh, and now we’ve put together a rock band too!”

“Oh? That’s great. You’ll have to tell me more sometime!”

“Of course,” Sidon replied. “Zelda, would you like to eat with us now?”

“I would be glad to! I don’t mean to intrude though…”

“Oh, no Zelda, it is quite alright!” Sidon reassured.

“I’m sorry to eat in front of you while you’re still waiting for your food, cuz, but I’m absolutely starving. Glad to have you with us though!” Link chimed in.

“Oh, don’t worry about it, Link. I’m guessing your appetite hasn’t changed?”

“As big as ever,” Link said, slightly embarrassed. “So, will you join us?”

“Gladly!” Zelda answered brightly.

“Excellent,” Sidon chirped! “We just have to grab our food but our table is over there,” Sidon said, pointing to their corner booth. “We’ll be right behind you.”

“Alright then,” Zelda said and with that, she walked off.

“Oh goodness, she seems like such a wonderful person!” Sidon exclaimed as he looked over the food trying to find their orders. Ah, there they were.

“She is. She’s really great. I’m glad you like her! Oh! I just had an idea: Zelda is an MBA candidate here, maybe she could be our band manager once we start gigging!”

“Oh, that is a great idea Link! We should ask her!” And with that, they walked back to their table with wide smiles as they approached their new, unsuspecting manager.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think!
> 
> I'm glad I had the time to make another update this weekend! If I had to guess, I would say I can probably do the same for next week too.
> 
> Thank you all for your support! It means so much to me!


	9. Sidon Meets Zelda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! 
> 
> New chapter! Hope y'all like it!
> 
> Come say hi on my [tumblr](https://skenandj.tumblr.com/).
> 
> I also started posting vids on [my YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2C7E11obqdAyjFiTsK6ygA). I'd appreciate it if you checked it out! Likes and subscriptions are greatly appreciated :)
> 
> See ya in the end notes!

“Oh, Rivan, what was all that about before?” Canute asked as the group of singers began to enjoy their lunch, in the bar section of the pub. “That was Link right? The guy Sidon’s been talking about forever now? Didn’t Sidon say he had some master plan to seduce him during their first chamber rehearsal?”

“Well,” Rivan began, “I’m not sure how but it seems like our boy Siddie managed to screw up his master plan. It definitely seemed like Link had no idea what was going on.”

“Wow, that surprises me. Imagine, Sidon failing to seduce someone...especially when that was his goal. He didn’t even have to try to get me hooked.”

“Yeah Dunma, you and the rest of us,” Thetis said. “Too bad for us when we realized he only has eyes for one man.”

“And that man has no idea…” Jon mused. 

“We should help Siddie out!” Peleus chirped. “I can’t stand to see him flounder around like this!”

“Oh!” Dunma exclaimed. “Good idea, Peleus! But what should we do?”

“I’m willing to bet that Sidon is just being a bit to subtle. Perhaps Link just isn’t used to this kind of attention. Maybe we should have a talk with Sidon and, you know, tell him to be a little more straightforward.” Rivan suggested.

“I think that’s a good idea, Rivan. We can all corner him during our studio class tomorrow! I’m curious to hear how his master plan failed…”

“Let’s not go to hard on him, Canute. I’m sure he’s plenty self-conscious already.” Rivan chided. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll take it easy on him…” Canute said, unconvincingly. 

============

Link and Sidon sat down across from Zelda. Zelda eyed them both suspiciously, glancing from one dorky smiling face to the other. Zelda closed her eyes and crossed her arms, letting out a quiet chuckle. How could she resist these fools and their adorable sparkling eyes.

“Fine,” Zelda huffed as she looked back up at the pair. “I’ll entertain you: what is it?”

Link let out the most adorable giggle. Sidon could have sworn his heart was about to explode from the cuteness overdose. If he died in that moment, Sidon would have died as the happiest man on the planet. He immediately glanced over at Link and smiled warmly, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Zelda who hitched an eyebrow at Sidon, a gesture which, in turn, did not go unnoticed by Sidon. Sidon embarrassedly dodged Zelda’s gaze.

“Sidon and I were talking and…”

“Oh, were you now?” Zelda said, voice full of amusement. 

“Yes…” Link said, slightly confused but he continued: “and we wanted to ask you something? Do you want to be our band manager?”

Zelda couldn’t contain her laughter. “Yes, Link,” she said after her laughter subsided. “I would be glad to, I’m just a little surprised that you would ask me. You’re both so bright, I would imagine you two would have no problem managing a band on your own.”

“It’s just that you’re so great and, well, we’ll be a little busy rehearsing and stuff.”

“And stuff...well, I should have known you two would be a little...preoccupied,” Zelda said teasingly as she gave Sidon a knowing wink. “Alright, I’ll do it!”

“Thank you so much, Zelda!” Link exclaimed, completely unaware of Zelda’s teasing and Sidon’s blush.

“You’re very welcome, Link. So, what would you like me to do right now? Do you have all the band members?”

“Well,” Sidon joined in, “we have the two of us and Link knows two guys from Belmont who might be interested. All we need now is another guitarist.”

“Another guitarist, hmm.... I think I know someone who would be perfect.”

“Oh, really?” Link asked, genuinely curious.

“Yep, my...uh, my girlfriend’s little sister plays. Quite well, from what I gather.”

“Oh!” Link cried, “I had no clue you had a girlfriend! What’s her name?”

“Her name is Urbosa, she’s a grad student at the education school here,” Zelda said, uncharacteristically bashfully. “Her younger sister’s name is Riju, she’s a junior at USN.”

“USN, but that’s a high school!” Sidon exclaimed.

“She is a little young, that’s true, but I think you should give her a chance. Urbosa is always going on about how great of a prodigy she is.”

“Oh, yes! We’ll give her a chance, of course! I’m sure she will be excellent! I was simply a little surprised, that’s all.”

“Great!” Zelda said with a brilliant smile. “Hey, Sidon?”

“Hm? Yes?”

“We should exchange phone numbers so we can keep in touch.”

“Ah, yes! That is an excellent idea, Zelda! Here, you can put your number in my phone, I’ll send you a text!” Sidon said as he handed his phone over to Zelda. “Oh, Link! I still need to give you my number too!” Sidon said as he reached into his backpack to pull out a pen and paper to write his number down on.

“Oh, really?” Zelda asked. “I would have thought that you had given him your number a while ago,” Zelda said, the smugness heavy in her voice as she inputted her number in Sidon’s phone.

“Wha-? Well, no, I didn’t…” Sidon answered, slightly flustered. “But you have it now, Link!” Sidon exclaimed as he presented Link with the paper. “Please feel free to message me anytime, I’d love to hear from you!”

Link blushed as Sidon let loose his becoming-signature smile. Taking the paper, Link muttered “thanks,” and began inputting Sidon’s number in his phone.

“AHEM, here you go, Sidon” Zelda said, handing Sidon’s phone back. Sidon reached out to grab his phone, but when he tried taking it back, Zelda didn’t relinquish her grip. As they briefly met each other’s gaze, Zelda gave him a smug smile before releasing her grip. Sidon gulped.

============

Sidon tried so hard to focus on his homework but, try as he might, he couldn’t help but think about the day’s events. His mind especially lingered on the pool table incident…. That was an image that he wouldn’t be able to get out of his mind any time soon. Not that he wanted to.

“Focus, Sidon. Focus,” Sidon thought. “You won’t be able to spend any time with Link if you fail out of school because you couldn’t finish any homework.”

Just as Sidon took a deep breath and began his studies with renewed vigor, he was distracted by a text notification. No, three. Sidon sighed as he grabbed his phone to see who it was.

The first message was...a meme? But it had no text. It was a Spongebob meme… the “you like Krabby Patties, don’t you Squidward” meme.

The second message said “so, you and Link huh?”

The third message: “btw, this is Zelda.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zelda is a total meme-slinger.
> 
> Hiya, hope y'all liked it!
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments, I appreciate your feedback <3
> 
> My school is on break for the second half of next week so I'll update again next weekend for sure. We'll see how the rest of the year plays out from there though, things might get a little busy.
> 
> Peace!


	10. First Meeting!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update! Yay! See ya in the end notes!

[8:05]

Fuck. Of course he was running late. Even though he was the one who coordinated the first full band meeting, he was the one who was running late. Link cursed as he quickly shot Sidon an explanatory apologetic text as he departed from his dorm room. 

“Hey Sidon, sorry but I’m running a little behind. I’ll be there at about 12 after. Tell everyone I say sorry!”

At least this time Link didn’t need to worry about hauling his guitar. This first meeting was just verbal, no instruments. That meant Link would make it to the music school a fair bit faster. Link couldn’t help but feel bad. He was keeping everyone, Zelda, Urbosa, Riju, Teba, Yunobo, and Sidon, waiting. He really had to work on his tardiness problem. He really didn’t mean it to come across as a sign of disrespect, even if that’s how it would be interpreted….

As Link reached the halfway point, he realised he wasn’t making the time he wanted. Link decided to run the rest of the distance. At least he didn’t have his guitar. In the past he had to run a few times with his guitar and it was a major pain in the ass. Guitars were surprisingly heavy, especially when in their case, and they were so unwieldy. 

Finally, Link made it to the music school. As he drew close to the large practice room they were going to use, he could make out some music. It was piano and drums, the two instruments that were always in the practice room. 

“Ah, so they couldn’t resist jamming,” Link thought as he approached. Link couldn’t help but wonder who was playing piano. He knew Zelda played piano but he was certain she could only play classical music, not pop. Hmm, perhaps Sidon? It was very common for vocalists to also be fairly proficient at the piano.

Then, Link heard the unmistakable voice:

To avoid complications  
She never kept the same address.  
In conversation  
She spoke just like a baroness.

“Ah, that’s right,” Link thought as he opened up the door to the practice room. Sidon was a fan of Queen. His voice certainly was a perfect fit for it.

“Ah, Link! Welcome!” Sidon cheered as soon as Link stepped into the room.

“Hey Sidon, hi everyone. Sorry I’m late….”

“No worries, bro!” Yunobo exclaimed.

“You’re here now, that’s good enough.” Teba said.

“Ah, Yunobo, Teba! It’s so good to see you again! How have you two been?” Link asked.

They replied in unison: “good.”

“School has just been busy, otherwise I would’a reached out to you a bit more,” Yunobo added, apologetically. 

“Oh, that’s fine,” Link assured. “School has been rough for me too!”

“Hey, Link!” Zelda called out. “Sorry to interrupt, but this is my girlfriend, Urbosa, and her younger sister, Riju.”

Link reached out to shake Urbosa’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Link said as Urbosa grabbed his hand, practically crushing it in a strong handshake. 

“Ah, so you’re Link? Zelda tells me so much about you!” Urbosa said with a grin. “Riju, come over here and say hi!”

Riju, a girl who was short, even for her age, was practically hiding behind Urbosa until she was called, at which point she shyly scooted out from behind Urbosa and extended her hand.

“Hi, I’m Riju,” she said quietly as Link shook her hand. “I’ll be your guitarist. I look forward to working with you.”

“And we all look forward to working with you!” Sidon exclaimed, jumping up from the piano bench and bending over to shake her hand. “We have heard such great things about you. It sounds like you could even give Link a run for his money!” Sidon exclaimed.

“M-maybe,” Riju said, smiling sheepishly. 

“Well, Sidon said, turning around to address the Teba and Yunobo. “Now that we’re all here, let’s quickly go over who we are and what kind of music we want to play. I’ll start! My name is Sidon and I go to school here at Vanderbilt. I’m majoring in music and business. I’m interested in Queen, AC/DC, and other classic rock groups as well as some modern pop artists like Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert!” Sidon then looked to Teba, gesturing for him to continue. 

“Hi, I’m Teba and I go to Belmont. I’m majoring in music performance and music production. I’m interested in classic metal groups like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest. Umm, next.”

“Hi everyone, my name is Yunobo and I also go to Belmont. I’m studying music performance. I’m interested in old school rock like Led Zeppelin and The Who but I also like the modern stuff. I also like playing disco and new wave aaand I think that’s it. Link?”

Hey, I’m Link. I study music and philosophy here at Vanderbilt. Umm, I really do love all kinds of music so it’s sort of hard for me to pin down a few bands. Every band y’all mentioned are among my favorites! How about you, Riju?”

“Um, well, my name is Riju and I’m a student at USN. My favorite kinds of music are metal and speed metal. I like groups like Dragonforce and Sonata Arctica but lately I’ve been listening to some crossover stuff like Babymetal.”

“Ah, Babymetal is excellent!” Sidon cheered. “I’m not sure how convincingly I could sing it though...oh, I’m terribly sorry Riju, I completely interrupted you, please continue!”

“Oh no, that’s fine. That was pretty much it.”

“Oh, ok.” Sidon said, clearly feeling a little bad for stifling their youngest member.

“Hi, I’m Urbosa and I’m a D.Ed. candidate here at Vanderbilt. I like a lot of music, I’ll like whatever you play. I’m mostly just Riju’s chaperone. And Zelda’s,” she said with a wink, earning a quick elbow from Zelda.

“AHEM, and I’m Zelda. I’m an MBA candidate, also here at Vanderbilt. I mostly know only classical music...but I’m sure I’ll love what you all play too! I’m here as the band manager. If you have any questions, send them my way!”

“Alright, thank you Zelda. Now then, that’s everybody!” Sidon said with cheer. “I look forward to working with you all very much. Now then, what should we move on to next, scheduling or setlists?”

“Well,” Teba said, “I feel like scheduling can be hashed out easier online. I’m pretty sure there is some kind of program that makes it really easy.”

“Ah, excellent idea, Teba!” Sidon said. “Zelda, could you make a group chat on FaceBook and send something out to everyone?”

“Yup, I got it,” Zelda said, typing away at her tablet. 

“Alright, so that leaves a setlist. How should we go about figuring it out?”

“Well, I think 10 songs is a good start for a first rehearsal,” Yunobo said. “And there are 5 of us. Maybe we could each nominate two songs and then, if everyone agrees, that’s the first setlist?”

“I like that idea.” Link said. “Yunobo, what do you want to play?”

“Oh, me? Well, umm, let’s see. How about…’Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin and ‘My Generation’ by The Who?”

“Any objections?” Zelda asked. “None? Alright, I’ve got them added.”

“I’ll propose ‘Killer Queen’ by Queen and ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga,” Sidon said. “Objections?”

“Excellent!” Zelda said. “Link, how about you?”

“Oh, well, how about ‘Tom Sawyer’ by Rush and ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ by Thin Lizzy?”

“Objections? Alright, they’re added.”

“Hey, Sidon,” Riju asked. “Are you fine with singing Japanese lyrics?”

“I think so. Would you like to do a Japanese song?”

“Mhmm, ‘Kurenai’ by X Japan. My other one will be ‘Breaking the Law’ by Babymetal.”

Urbosa leaned over to whisper in Riju’s ear.

“Umm, I mean ‘Breaking the Law’ by Judas Priest.”

“Any objections? Alright, I got them, Riju. That leaves Teba. What do you want?”

“Hmm, I’ll go with ‘Run to the Hills’ by Iron Maiden and ‘Call of Ktulu’ by Metallica. You’re fine with an instrumental, right Sidon?”

“Yes, a break is always welcome,” Sidon said with a smile.

“Alright, any objections? Alright, then that’s a setlist.”

“Excellent,” Sidon exclaimed. Then I think that’s plenty for our first meeting if that’s good with everyone.”

“That’s fine with us,” Teba said, “Yunobo and I would have had to run back to musical rehearsal in 20 minutes anyways.”

“Ah, perfect. Then you’ll have some time to spare! Alright, keep an eye out for the group message so we can get our rehearsal schedule worked out.” Zelda said.

With that, Teba and Yunobo got up and left, saying quick goodbyes. The rest of the group vacated the practice room and moved to the music school lobby. After a brief chat, Sidon was the next to leave, going on about some schoolwork he had to do. As Link said his goodbyes and walked away, Zelda called out to him.

“Hey Link, you’re coming out with Urbosa and me for drinks later, right? I’m not going to take no for an answer!”

Link sighed. Of course she wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Fine. But what about Riju?”

“Don’t worry about her,” Urbosa smiled. “We’re going to drop her off at my apartment then come right back for you.”

“Ah,” Link said, amused. They clearly planned this out. “Where do you want to meet?”

“I’ll shoot you a text when I’m at your dorm!” Zelda called out.

“Wait, how do you know where I live?” 

“Don’t worry about it," Zelda called out.

Link smiled as he walked away. Zelda never changed. Link made sure to grab a bite to eat in anticipation of the night’s likely debauchery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, hope ya liked it! Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Sorry if this one was a little slow. At the very least, I'm sure I captured the pure excitement of going over setlist stuff for first band meetings :)


End file.
